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Sunrise-class Cruiser
The Sunrise-class cruiser is a type of heavy warship employed for intense assault combat and defensive actions. Its most notable feature is the combination of traditional cruiser specifications with those of a carrier, thus becoming a front-line competitor for both. It employs a system known as ADTRAD which harnesses emissions from the entire EM spectrum to detect and track objects. Layout The Sunrise-class can be broken down into several key sections. The main hull is composed of three blocky sections (or “modules”) joined by slightly thinner parts. Joined to the sides of the main hull are the two flight arms. Behind the rearmost module are two reinforced exhausts for the main subluminal drives. The forward module contains mostly command and accommodation areas; including the bridge and most guest rooms. The water and forward fuel tanks are also located near the back of this section. The midship module is host to mostly operations and accommodation, in addition to the aft fuel tanks and atmosphere gas storage. Finally, the aft module includes almost exclusively engineering sections with some annexed accommodation. Slipspace drives are stored in this section. Like almost all spacecraft, the Sunrise-class is composed of a reinforced skeletal frame which is covered by a metal composite armoured hull. The frame has segments composed from both metal and ceramics, a configuration which allows it to remain as light as possible while remaining tough and resistant to damage. Flanking the main hull are two flight arms, one on either side. These function to deploy and recover fighters and other small craft. Most space in a flight arm it taken up by the flight deck, which is typically open to space. Underneath, there is a hanger deck and vehicle garage. The flight arms are linked to the main hull by two supports (three supports in block two craft). Specifications Dimensions The Sunrise-class is one of the larger warships currently in UNSC service. However, the large size betrays the amount of space actually available inside. Taking resource reclamation systems, fuel, water and atmosphere tanks and armour into account, just over two-thirds of the ship’s volume is actually habitable space. Nonetheless, it clocks in at one point four kilometres in total length, 476 metres in width including flight arms and 182 metres in height. Each flight arm is 415 metres long, 74 metres wide and 63 metres high (most is taken up by the flight deck). Overall, it has a volume of over fifty-one million cubic metres and an estimated mass of 8.7 million metric tons unloaded and unfuelled, nine million unloaded and fuelled and ten million loaded and fuelled. These gargantuan dimensions are beaten by relatively few other vessels, because there is little call for a vessel any larger than the Sunrise-class. Some have criticised these aspects as making a ship of this class far too large to be combat effective, but it cannot be avoided that the large size works in the classes’ favour. As a transport it can carry large numbers of infantry, as a carrier it has space to hold four whole wings of Sidewinders and as a freighter is has six capable cargo bays. Propulsion Due to its considerable mass, high rates of acceleration are impossible for the Sunrise-class. However, efforts have been made to ensure that the best possible propulsion systems are used. It has subluminal and superluminal capability in addition to effective manoeuvring systems. The simplest to describe are the manoeuvring thrusters, which simply redirect high-energy plasma from the main fusion drives. Subluminal propulsion consists of two fusion drives, which fuse atoms of 3He at high temperature and pressure to produce high-energy plasma. An engine cruise burn denotes firing both engines at 100% for eight hours, culminating in a velocity of just under 1pC. This burn will use up approximately 3,115 petajoules of energy or 5,265.4 kilograms of helium-3 (0.0018% of total storage). Because of finite fuel reserves, most subluminal movement is achieved simply by drifting as opposed to powered flight. Subluminal engines are driven by gelled 3He stored in four reinforced fuel tanks. The two forward tanks have a volume of seven hundred thousand cubic metres each land the two aft tanks have a volume of three hundred thousand cubic metres each. The gel-liquid fuel is stored at a density of around one hundred and five kilograms per cubic metre. Combined, three hundred million kilograms of fuel is stored in the tanks; with a total potential energy of around 3.5496*1023 joules (591.6 terajoules per kilogram). The main subluminal fusion drives can only provide thrust in one direction, so an alternate system must be employed to allow changes in ship’s attitude and the execution of complex manoeuvres. Sixteen small manoeuvring thrusters are used to this end, dotted over the hull in precisely calculated locations so that any orientation can be achieved merely by firing the specific sequence of thrusters. They function by redirecting small amounts of plasma from the ship’s main fusion drives via small conduits. However, like all large warships the Sunrise-class is notoriously slow to accelerate and manoeuvre as a result of its large mass. Finally, this class carries two McKenzie-Pearson Inc. Slipspace drives of the J330 line to allow superluminal travel. Each drive incorporates some advanced principles into the design, allowing them to attain faster velocities in the alternate dimension of slipstream space. The two drives are designed to be used in conjunction with each other, but in emergencies it is possible to execute jumps using only one or the other. Armament In a combat sense, the Sunrise-class is in many ways a full spectrum vessel. Its array of onboard weaponry allows it to conduct both offensive and defensive operations at nearly all ranges. The unguided artillery-style weapons are preferred at short distances while the missiles are favoured for longer ranges. *'Mark IX Main Turrets' (12) are effective chemical projectile armaments used both against opposing warships and gatherings of fighters. Each turret has two barrels either side and can bring two types of chemically-propelled 500mm ammunition into play; shrapnel (or flak) rounds and explosive rounds. Mark IXs are fired manually by an operator who sits in the turret itself. They are arranged alone or in pairs on several hull surfaces. *'T28 Point-Intercept MAC Turrets' (52) are small computer-controlled MAC weapons (scaled down versions of the larger cannons) designed to quickly target and destroy incoming fighters or missiles. Because of their function, these guns are also known as “interceptors”. They consist of two rotary barrels which fire rapid streams of 42mm AB-rounds and can pivot in all directions. T28s are organised in rows of around five turrets and are placed on surfaces where they have a large targeting area. *'91-C Warstrike Missiles' (84) are standard ship-to-ship guided ordnance. They have the ability to use either infrared or ADTRAD targeting and are armed with a standard high-explosive warhead. A ship has numerous retractable circular racks carrying seven missiles each. *'91-Y Anvil Nuclear Missiles' (10) are armed with tactical nuclear fission warheads and are brought in for heavy demolition, saturation bombing or planetary bombardment. Each missile has its own dedicated launch tube located on the ship’s ventral surface which uses hydraulic rams to extend the missile into deployment position. The warheads benefit from a variable yield capability, anywhere between ten to 300 kilotons. Complement A Sunrise-class cruiser is usually host to a crew of around 2500. This number includes all Navy (around four fifths of total) and Marine Corps personnel (around one fifth of total). Depending on mission, the number of personnel will vary but the ship’s environmental systems cannot safely support any more than 5400. Like with most UNSC warships, a range of crewmembers versed in all appropriate fields are carried aboard. Enough food is stored to sustain a typical crew for eleven months, atmosphere (one thousand metric tons of oxygen) and water supplies are similar. One of the primary attractions of the Sunrise-class is its integration of carrier elements into a cruiser. As such, the Sunrise-class carries several types of small spacecraft to assist it in operations. They are stored, maintained and operated from in the twin flight arms flanking the ship’s main hull. Both types are capable of both atmospheric and vacuum operation, although their performance is diminished considerably in the former. *''AF-6 Sidewinder Assault Fighters'' (usually 28) are frequently brought in to support combat operations against smaller enemy warships or other fighters. The Sunrise-class will usually carry four wings of Sidewinders, seven in each. They are typically divided into four wings of eight fighters each. *''MRC-12 Mako Multi-Role Craft'' (usually 8) are only deployed when necessary. Although capable of combat, they are more frequently used in a transport or electronic warfare role. Unlike Sidewinders, the number of Makos aboard a ship fluctuates depending on a ship’s current activity. *''D77H-TCI Pelican Personnel Dropships'' (usually 6) are brought in to transport larger numbers of infantry between the cruiser and the ground. In addition to the Makos, Pelicans and Sidewinders, eight Warthog vehicles are usually sent down to provide transport to peaceful surface parties but also find use as warhorses for Marine combat squads. These would typically be shipped to the ground via Mako and manned by Infantry personnel. They are stored in the garages which are annexed to a flight arm’s hanger deck. Power Primary power is supplied by two methods. Firstly, a chain of three small fusion generators use 3He to create a typical combined power output of around 1.8 gigawatts electrical (up to three gigawatts under combat conditions). Secondly, there are four strips of photovoltaic material on the ship’s hull that use nearby light sources to create additional electrical energy. Most prolonged power output is directed to the complex lattice of environmental support systems. Each of the three fusion generators has a standard power output of around 600 megawatts and consumes fuel at a maximum rate of 0.000175 of a kilogram per minute. Altogether, they are used to provide electrical energy to the ship’s systems (most notably environmental and propulsion). They are self-cycling, setting aside a small amount of their power output to sustain their own function. Because they are complemented by the solar arrays whenever possible, the fusion generators are almost never run at maximum. Each strip of hyper-efficient photovoltaic material has a total surface area of 6,000 square metres (20 metres height and 300 metres length), and all four have 24,000 square metres. Their actual power output varies (usually between 30 and 90 megawatts combined) depending on the amount of light being intercepted, but they usually supply a significant portion of total primary power. However, if they are severely damaged or receive insufficient light then the difference can be made up for by the three fusion generators. If the solar arrays and fusion generators are rendered unable to produce the power needed for the ship, then several backup power cells are carried onboard which can be used to compensate. Unfortunately, they can only supply enough power to run the ship’s environmental systems for a period of several hours. It is assumed that by the time that the power cells are expended then an alternate source of power will have been procured. Superstructure Like almost all spacecraft, the Sunrise-class is composed of a reinforced skeletal frame which is covered by a metal composite armoured hull. The frame has segments composed from armchair-type carbon nanotube meshes, titanium alloys and ceramic composites. This configuration allows it to remain as light as possible while remaining strong and resistant to large stresses. Overall, the ship’s unloaded structure masses at eight point seven billion kilograms. The armour composite is designed to provide the inner hull with as much protection against kinetic and directed-energy attacks as possible, as well as to provide a strong shell which can withstand the engineering stresses exerted on it. The armour configuration of the Sunrise-class is around seven metres thick, and is known as Composite-E Battleplate. It is composed of several metal alloys and ceramic composites in order to achieve the required specifications. The outer layer consists of an ablative coating of titanium alloy (2 metres thick) which is designed to chip away when heated, thereby dissipating most of the energy involved. Behind that is an interwoven mesh of armchair-type carbon nanotubes (2.5m) which protect against kinetic impacts and provide a very strong and stiff armour frame. Then, there is a shock-absorbing titanium foam (1m) which helps to absorb kinetic impacts, followed by a beryllium-boron-lead composite matrix (0.5m) which helps to absorb dangerous radiation, including cosmic rays and that emitted by nuclear weapons. The final two layers consist of a heavy shock-absorbing polymeric composite matrix (0.5m) and a final metre of titanium alloy armour before the inner hull. Ships in Class Sixteen Sunrise-class ships were constructed, split into two blocks. Although a third block is not currently planned, the Navy has expressed interest in constructing more in the future. The initial block one order was placed in 2819 consisted of the original nine ships. Later, those vessels’ impressive performance statistics led to the construction of a second block containing seven ships. The second order was placed in 2823. The block one order was placed in 2819, construction began later that year and all vessels were on the line by late 2820. Block one vessels are as follows. *''Sunrise'' – The first vessel of the Sunrise class. *''Donovan'' – Named for General Maria Donovan, famed UNSC military commander. *''Predator'' *''Centurion'' – Destroyed in 2835. *''Ragnarok'' *''Camelot'' *''Archangel'' *''Edgjmont'' *''Falkirk'' The block two order was placed relatively soon after in 2823, and construction began the following year in 2824. All vessels were complete and operating by mid 2825. The second block gained extensive software updates, redesigned airlocks and an additional support for each flight arm, but was otherwise identical to block one. All block two vessels are as follows. *''Prometheus'' *''Atlantis'' *''Ascension'' – One of the fleet’s more famed vessels. *''Northern'' *''Sovereign'' *''Manchester'' *''Avalon'' – Moderately damaged in 2841 as the result of insurrectionist sabotage.